The saga surrounding Max Verstappen’s Red Bull future will get “very interesting” if Saudi Arabia “gets involved” with the Aston Martin F1 team.

That is the claim of Johnny Herbert, the former F1 driver, who believes Aston Martin will become “the next team to beat” in Formula 1 if they can reunite Verstappen and Adrian Newey.

Max Verstappen to leave Red Bull for Aston Martin?

Verstappen and Red Bull stand as one of the most successful driver/team partnerships in F1 history, with the Dutchman storming to four consecutive World Championships since 2021.

However, the Dutchman has been persistently linked with a move away from the team over the last 12 months in light of Red Bull’s competitive decline.

Although Verstappen is officially under contract until the end of 2028, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner confirmed to media including PlanetF1.com at last year’s Dutch Grand Prix that the deal contains a “performance element.”

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It has been speculated that Verstappen will be free to leave Red Bull for F1 2026 if he is lower than third in the Drivers’ Championship after a certain point of the 2025 season, believed to be around the time of the summer break in July.

Mercedes have been most strongly linked with a move for Verstappen, with team boss Toto Wolff making no secret about wanting to sign the World Champion after Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari was announced last year.

Aston Martin have emerged as a compelling alternative destination following the signing of F1 technical guru Newey, who has played an instrumental role in Verstappen’s recent success, last year.

The Silverstone-based team will also enter a technical partnership with Honda, Red Bull’s current engine suppliers, from next season.

A report in Italy last week claimed that Aston Martin are preparing an eye-watering bid of $300 million for Verstappen with the backing of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which could take over the team in the near future.

The Aston Martin F1 team already have an existing relationship with Saudi Arabia via title sponsor Aramco, with the Gulf state holding a 20.5 per cent stake in the Aston Martin car company.

Herbert believes the increase of Saudi Arabia’s presence at Aston Martin could be a game-changer in the debate surrounding Verstappen’s next move.

He told CoinCasino: “It’s very interesting if the Saudis get involved with Aston Martin.

“If you had the money, you would pay all you have to get Max Verstappen on your team. He’s still, by far, the best driver on the grid at the moment.

“He’s still out-qualifying the McLaren, which is just a little faster.

“If Aston Martin gets their development right for next year, you could see them become the next team to beat.

“But they have a big hill to climb. If you have Verstappen and Adrian Newey at the top of their games, then it will be hard to beat them, but that isn’t a guarantee.

“Verstappen will be thinking where is the best place for him and when can he leave.

“Helmut Marko alluded to a get-out clause which could come into effect this season, it would be perfect timing for Verstappen.

“I hope he chooses the right team so he can keep battling at the very top for the foreseeable future. We want him and the likes of Oscar Piastri to really fight for the title, which can only be good for the sport.

“Lawrence Stroll [Aston Martin owner] is a shrewd businessman and he’s moving Aston Martin towards being a winning team.

“If he’s getting closer with Saudi Arabia and has the best driver, we could see that plan come to fruition.

“I don’t think Saudi Arabia would take 100 per cent control of Aston Martin, because Lawrence Stroll is a petrolhead. He may give them 50 per cent or less, I don’t know for certain.

“Lance Stroll has been disappointing the last few races and Fernando Alonso is still performing better as his team-mate, but it’s not a great car at the moment.

“Aston Martin will have to decide who is the perfect partner for someone like Verstappen to bring Aston Martin to the top.

“Lawrence Stroll will want to keep his son and Lance Stroll has earned his position in F1.

“He’s been on the podium before, led races and collected points.

“If you give him a good car, he may be able to move up a level, but his performance level will need to be more consistent.”

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Aston Martin have insisted that there are no plans to go any further than the investment offer vehicle which was announced recently.

Aston Martin Lagonda is set to sell its £74m minority investment in the Formula 1 team as part of a plan to increase the luxury car maker’s liquidity.

The sale will have no impact on Aston Martin’s sponsorship of the F1 team, however, with Aston Martin announcing its commitment to Formula 1 until at least the end of 2030 in April last year.

The process is set to see AML sell its stake, with Mr Stroll appointing investment bank Raine Group to help find a buyer for its stake and Raine set to work with the team’s commercial chief Jefferson Slack to secure a “strategic investor.”

The sale will see Mr Stroll increase his shareholding in Aston Martin Lagonda to 33 per cent.

In a statement provided to PlanetF1.com last week, Aston Martin reiterated their commitment to their existing driver lineup of Stroll and Alonso, who both remain under contract to the team until at least the end of F1 2026.

An Aston Martin spokesperson said: “It’s normal for the media to speculate on driver market, but we have an amazing driver lineup that we are committed to and who are under contract for 2026 and beyond.

“Our focus is on delivering for our drivers by giving them a more consistent and competitive car.

“When we do, they are both capable of delivering great results.”

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